


Lavender Trees

by mothmans_barmitzvah



Category: TAZ Amnesty - Fandom, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Aubrey Little - Freeform, Canon diversion, Duck Newton - Freeform, Duck has a vision, F/F, F/M, Giant fuckin squirrels, M/M, My good good chosen boy, Other, Pigeon has a brother in this, This is my first upload, aubrey can’t contain her gay, be nice?, chosen duck, i don’t know how to tag things effectively, indrid cold - Freeform, induck, juno knows what’s up, my boys deserve love, ned chicane - Freeform, neither can Duck apparently, poor pigeon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-16 08:12:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16950291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothmans_barmitzvah/pseuds/mothmans_barmitzvah
Summary: Pigeon calls on Duck to help when her little brother goes missing, but what should have just been an easy search and rescue uncovers something waayy weirder than missing kids happening in the trees.Alternatively, Juno knows what’s up even before Duck does. ;)





	1. ~prologue~

**Author's Note:**

> Hey I wrote this before Leo Tarkesian was revealed as a broadsword wielding badass sooooo-
> 
> first story! please leave feedback!!
> 
> NOW EDITED

We see darkness. Then, a teenager. And they’re falling; face up, limbs limp, they’re falling through what seems like an endless abyss... Until it ends. And they hit the ground, hard. The lavender beneath them is crushed, and a look of pain spreads across their unconscious features.

Duck Newton is there. He stares. It’s all he can do, but that doesn’t mean he can’t try. His mind races, screaming at his limbs to Move! But nothing seems to work.  
And then, Duck’s efforts are halted by a short, gasping breath from the young adult before him.

In a flash, they turn their head, eyes ablaze, staring straight into Duck’s own terrified gaze. And in a raspy whisper Duck has to strain to hear, they address him.

“Find Me."

[Edited -24/02/19]


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wakey wakey chosen one. ;)
> 
> Editing Note: Wasn't sure whether to keep the whole beacon situation as I originally wrote it or to adjust to the whole 'horny mouth belt' scenario we now know is canon (and I thoroughly enjoy). Tell me what you think and I'll adjust accordingly. <3

Another warm summers day in Kepler, West Virginia.  
Well, as warm as summer in Keplar gets, and somewhere quaint and residential, Duck Newton (it’s a nickname) finds himself awoken with a start after a particularly vivid vision.

“What the fuck?” He finds himself voicing his confusion in a raspy voice, his eyes almost stuck together with sleep. His mind is doing flips and cartwheels, but a quick glance at his clock has him snapped back to the present. He decides to gather his thoughts while rushing to get ready- he must have slept through his alarm... Again.

“mmdUck nEwtO-"  
“Not today beacon, I’m late, don’t cause trouble while I’m gone!!” Duck hops past the sword lying on the kitchen counter, trying to put on his shoe without untieing it somehow, and almost tripping in the process. Beacon's mouth morphs into either a smile or a frown, depending on perspective, as Duck attempts and fails to open the door.  
“Darnit- keys!”  
He quickly swipes his keys from the kitchen table, interrupting beacon once again, before unlocking the door and almost sprinting out of his apartment.

“Late today huh, Duck?”  
He hears the amused voice of Mr. Tarkesian behind him as he hurriedly locks his door. Sending a quick salute and good morning behind him, Duck sprints almost two at a time down the stairwell- no time for elevators.  
He slightly regrets that decision a few seconds later after nearly breaking his neck falling down the last few steps.

He picks himself up, and hurriedly dusts himself off- his natural resistance to injury pays off sometimes, and with a final mad dash to his Ranger Assigned Truck, and he’s on his way.  
On the drive over to the station, he finally takes a breath to ponder his latest weird-ass dream.

“Do I know that kid from somewhere?” He wonders aloud as he pulls in beside Juno’s truck. He continues to mumble aloud as he climbs out of the driver's seat and makes his way into the station, his autopilot fully engaged.  
"And Lavender?? What on earth is that supposed to-"

“Talking to yourself again, Duck?”  
Duck visibly jumps, his hand flying to hold his chest as the confident voice of Ranger Juno Divine pops up behind him.  
“Good god, Juno you can’t be doin’ this to me you’re gonna give me a damn heart attack.” Juno laughs as the two make their way out of the doorway, Duck following Juno to her desk where she leans calmly.

“Well, sorry Duck, but I wasn’t exactly being stealthy. What’s got you so deep in thought there good bud?” She taps the space on the desk next to her, but Duck shakes his head, making his way over to the timecard thingy. (He never bothered to find out what those things are actually called.)  
“Ah, nothin Juno. Just a dream is all.”  
Duck clocks in with practiced precision as Juno makes her way around her desk to sit down, not really satisfied with his answer.

“Y’know Duck, you’ve been real distracted lately. Is there somethin’ you’re not telling me?”  
Duck freezes slightly, a picture of Aubrey’s hand on fire flickering in front of his eyes, before his mind starts racing to try to remember all the excuses he's used in the past.  
“Well, I mean it’s not-uh, what I mean to say is- it’s- there’s uh, there’s this kinda group thing I been- aw shit, okay. I uh, I don’t think- I mean- Fuck!”  
“Duck-“  
“I’ve been trying to- We- that is, me and a few friends- well- godDAMNIT!”  
“Duck-!”  
“There’s been th-well, we’ve been- SHIT!”  
“Duck! Duck, stop. Sit down.”

Duck turns to Juno with a look on his face that very much resembled a child that had been caught attempting some heinous crime.  
“Duck. Sit.” Juno warns, pointing sternly at the chair sat at the opposite side of her desk. Duck does as he's told, sighing before plopping himself down in the chair on the other side of Juno’s desk.  
“Now, I don’t suppose this would have anything to do with a certain... lanky recluse I been seeing you around with lately?”

“Well-“  
Duck pauses. Come to think of it, he had been spending a lot of time with Indrid recently. He had been convincing himself that the more time spent around Indrid, the quicker they could be at preventing more accidents, and sure it started out as the three of them- Aubrey, Ned and himself, but slowly they drifted. Not many accidents had been needing intervention lately, but Duck just couldn’t admit to himself that maybe he had a bit of an ulterior motive for spending time with the man.

“I mean- shit, I suppose I have been spending a lot of time with Mr. Cold, huh?” Juno smiles, sharpening a random pencil she found on her desk that didn't need sharpening and suddenly Duck gets slapped with the sensation that she knew something he didn’t.  
“Yeah. You know, I saw you two helping out with rebuilding Mr. Tarkesian’s store the other day. You two seem pretty close.” Juno smirks, leaning forward in her chair as the cogs start turning in Duck’s head.  
She puts the pencil down gently, the impish look on her face melting into one of serious concern.  
“Now, I’m not one to judge, but I do hope you can keep business and personal life separate in the future. I need you out there Duck. The forest needs you.”

Finally, something clicks in Ducks old head.  
“Oh- shit, no! That’s not- I’m not- He’s not- oh god, no it’s not what you think-“  
Suddenly, Duck’s mad dash to deny whatever Juno was implying was interrupted, as another bird-themed Public Works employee burst in through the door of the ranger station.

“Pigeon?!”

[Edited -24/02/19]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback means so much to me, good or bad. Please tell me what you think??


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pigeon breaks the bad news.  
> Also, ~flashbaaack~
> 
> Editing Note: I wrote all of these in the notes app on my phone so the format is sooo goofed up, I'm having trouble fixing it.. Currently just trying to make it readable.. hope it's okay? Let me know, feedback helps sO much.

“Pigeon?!”  
“Duck!”

Juno, out of instinct, ducks.  
“Damnit Juno, not funny.” Duck stands up, turning to the obviously distraught and disheveled Pigeon currently leaning on her own knees. His eyes are drawn to the twig stuck in her untamable hair. He steps forward, arms outstretched as if trying to calm a wild animal.  
“Pigeon what’s wrong?” She straightens up, gasping.  
“Duck I need your help! My little brother-“ she takes another gasp of air before continuing.  
“My little brother went into the woods with his friends last night, and he ain’t come back-”

“Woa, woa there honey, take a seat.”  
Juno takes a step away from her chair, trying to calm the frantic woman in front of them, offering her the one Duck just stood from.  
“Now, tell us what happened, from the beginning.”  
Duck moves around the desk to stand next to Juno as Pigeon starts telling the shortened version of her story.  
Turns out, she had finally agreed to let her brother go camping with his friends considering his birthday is this week, and-

“And they were all supposed to come back this mornin’, but Flint never did, and his friends are tellin’ me he left last night to go home, and now I’m sure he’s lost, and scared, oh god I’m the worst big sister in the world-“  
“Hold up. Take a deep breath.” Duck prompts walking around the desk to put a hand on Pigeon's flanneled shoulder. She takes a long shaky breath before Juno leans forward, making an attempt to take control of the situation.

“So you reckon your brother is lost in the forest.” She asks, hands clasped in front of her mouth.  
“Yeah.” Pigeon takes another shaky breath before looking Juno in the eyes and nodding. Duck walks over to the hooks next to the door.  
“Well shit Pigeon, I didn’t even know you had a brother.” He remarks, taking his hat from its hook and slipping it on his head.  
“Don’t worry Pigeon, we’ll find him in no time, I know this forest like the back of my hand.”

“You got this one Duck? I’ve still got paperwork to finish up.” Juno gestures to her tray, where there was indeed a large stack of forms.  
“Sure thing Juno.”  
Pigeon jumps out of her chair, almost knocking it over, and tackles Duck into a hug as he turns around.  
“Thank you, Duck.” She mumbles sincerely into his shoulder, and Duck suddenly feels a little insecure about his height.  
Duck awkwardly places one hand on her back, patting slowly, the other pulling the twig out of her ginger locks.  
“‘S the least I could do Pidge.”

He spots Juno nodding with an impish smile over Pigeon’s shoulder and responds with a hard shake of his head, but Juno’s smile only grew wider.  
“Well-!”  
Duck quickly worms his way out of the hug, picking up his jacket from the back of his chair and starting toward the door, ushering Pigeon onwards.  
“Let’s get started shall we?”

~*~

“Why’re we going this way, Duck? The preserve is that way.” Pigeon shifts nervously in the passenger seat of Duck's forest service issued truck.  
“There’s somethin I gotta pick up, just in case. Don’t worry, you’ll thank me later.” Duck pulls up to his small bricked building, ushering Pigeon to follow.  
The two make a quick plan as they ascend in the elevator.  
“We’ll take Juno's Rangerover instead, it handles off-road better than the truck.”  
“Sounds good...”  
Pigeon trails off and Duck turns to her concerned as the elevator hummed. She takes a deep breath before speaking.

“Dangit Duck, I’m so worried about him.. he’s a bit of a skinny kid, so he never was too good at outdoorsy stuff.” She hugs herself, guilt almost visible. Duck places a cautious hand on her shoulder.  
“Hey, I mean, I was a lanky little bastard and I turned out okay, didn’t I? Well, at least I hope I did.” He trails off, looking down at himself. She turns to him, a soft look on her face.  
“You did, Duck. You really did.” She speaks softly before the two fall into a comfortable silence.

Faint elevator music plays in the background as Pigeon enjoys the silence between the two. She sees the way Duck absentmindedly bounces his fingers off of his legs when he's nervous. She sees the subtle bite of his lip when he's thinking. She wishes and watches him with a soft expression before a memory aggressively pushes it's way to the front of her mind.

~~ᶠˡᵃᵃᵃˢʰᵇᵃᵃᵃᶜᵏ~~

We see Mr. Tarkesian’s general store. No longer a crushed and mangled husk, the storefront looks almost brand new. The only thing missing is- well, everything that makes it a store. On the inside, the feeling of community in Keplar is at its peak as people bustle about, doing what they can to help out, Duck and Pigeon included. 

“No, slightly to the left!” Mr. Tarkesian called up to where Duck was balanced precariously on an old ladder, fixing a goods hammock to the ceiling. Pigeon watched worriedly from where she was trying to figure out an IKEA shelf on the other side of the room.

“Now you’ve got it too taught, just slightly less.” Duck grunted as he stretched further forward.  
“Like this?” He called back.

“Mr. T?!”  
A light voice caught Leo's attention before he could answer.  
“Hold on Duck!” Mr. Tarkesian turned to where Aubrey was yelling across the expanse of the building with a box in her hands.  
“Yeah, sweetheart?!”  
“Where do you want the extra screws?!”  
“Uhh, try over by Pigeon! I think you could need them sooner or later right Pigeon?!” Pigeon looked up from the instructions she was pretending to read.  
“Yeah sure, Aubrey bring ‘em over here.”

Duck wobbled slightly, as his balance faltered just a little, but acted under pressure and only just managed to wedge himself between the ladder and the ceiling.  
“Mr Tarkesian?” He called, and Leo spun, taking in Duck’s situation, but was quickly distracted by the placement of the hammock.  
“Perfect!” Mr. Tarkesian beamed as Duck breathed a sigh of relief.

“Awesome.” He mumbled, shifting his weight to reach for the hammer in his tool belt, which surprisingly- or unsurprisingly, Duck hadn’t decided yet- was borrowed from Ned.  
Unfortunately, the movement was just a little too much for the rickety old ladder, and one of the rungs gave in, sending Duck- and the hammock- tumbling to the floor.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion to Pigeon.  
She stood to attention hearing Duck’s cry of surprise and spun to look, dropping the 'HOGHEM shelf' instruction page.  
Duck was falling.

Outside the storefront, she watched Ranger Juno Divine taking her lunchtime stroll stop in her tracks.  
Aubrey next to her flung her hands out as if she could catch him from here, but no. Pigeon knew she needed to act.  
She dashed forward just as time returned to her, and she knew she wasn’t going to make it.

But then, there he was.  
Catching Duck gracefully in his arms was Indrid Cold.

~~ᶠˡᵃᵃᵃˢʰᵇᵃᵃᵃᶜᵏ~~

Pigeon returned to the present as Duck stepped out of his apartment with some kind of metal whip tucked into his belt.  
“What on earth is that?” She exclaimed, standing away from the flowery wall she was leaning on.  
“A special tool that will help us later. Emphasis on the ‘tool.’”  
Duck winked as he stepped back into the elevator and Pigeon followed, a little afraid to ask what the hell that meant.

[Edited -24/02/19]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one seems longer? I mashed two chapters together so it wouldn’t be too short but idk.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated! Please tell me what you think!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of stuff happens in this one, but honestly not my best- It’ll get better I promise lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, turns out running a d&d campaign takes up up a lOT of time
> 
> Editing Notes: I put a little extra care into this one, including a little bonus scene with pigeon and aubrey that honestly i'm not too sure about... I'll let you guys decide this one.   
> Either way, feedback helps me immensely, good or bad. Drop a comment and let me know how I did?  
> I'm so grateful to you guys for just reading this far, and i hope this was worth the wait.  
> Love ya, ~mothman  
> P.S check end notes for an excuse/explanation lol

Juno's Rangerover rolls to a stop just outside the preserve area of the Monongahela National Forest.

“Wait a minute there Pidge, you’re sayin this is where the boys went camping?” Pigeon glances over at the Ranger slightly sheepish.  
“Yeah. We dropped ‘em off at the trails an’ they told us they were gonna stick to the rules but, boys will be boys I guess.”  
“Yeah.. I guess.”

Duck slides out of the car, prompting Pigeon to do the same, stumbling slightly.  
He sighs and scratches the back of his neck, the size of the area worrying him a little.  
“We might need some help with this one.”

Duck pulls out his old Nokia brick phone and dials a familiar number, hoping and praying to whatever bipedal goat gods there might be that there's enough signal in the area.  
“Hello, Amnesty Lodge how can I help?” A deep and slightly cracked voice falls out of the receiver.  
“Hey Barkleigh, you know the Preserve pretty well, right?” Duck wastes no time getting down to business.  
“Well sure Duck, I spent a while camping down there before Mama took me in.” Duck sighs, grabbing his hat with his spare hand, suddenly finding the sky pretty interesting.  
“Godamnit.. gonna have my job... people camping in the preserve-"  
"Duck." Barkleigh snaps him out of his mumbling, bringing him back to the task at hand.

"Well, we got a situation with a lost kid, and I think I’m gonna need your help to find him before dark.”  
“Sure thing Duck, we'll be right there.” Duck pauses halfway through a nod.  
"Wait we?" His question is met with dial tone, and he lowers the phone with a sigh.

Duck cuts off the call and shoves the phone back into a pouch on his belt, turning to Pigeon who stood with a confused look on her face.  
“Barkleigh? Isn’t that the chef guy at the Lodge? How’s he gonna help us?”  
Duck smiles, leaning against a small wooden fence separating the parking lot from the preserve. He shoves his hands in his pockets, a little of his rebellious teen phase showing in his stance.  
“That’s the one. Trust me, that guy has mad tracking skills. I just think numbers are a good idea, that way we’ll find him quicker." Duck rubs the back of his neck a little embarrassed that he forgot to explain himself. He perks back up again when he remembers another thing he forgot.  
"By the way do you have a picture of your brother? -What was his name, Flint?”

Pigeon pulls her wallet from her back pocket and slides a small picture from the clear pocket. It looks worn out and older than it actually is, but it's a loved worn rather than neglected. Pigeon hands it to Duck upside down, giving him a view of the small numbers on the back in smudged ink.  
“That's an older picture, but I think it’ll do. He hasn’t changed much.”  
Duck flips the picture over and his whole world seems to freeze when he looks into the boy's eyes.  
He seems to look back, eyes burning as Duck hears the voice boom through his head once again.

“Find Me.”

Duck’s ears ring and his heart feels constricted as the fear surfaces again. This poor kid.  
His dreams have always been vivid, but recently he’s been feeling so many emotions during them that he's starting the question whether these dreams are something more. Whether they're something more complex than he could ever begin to imagine, he doesn't know. But at this precise moment, he does know one thing.

“We gotta find this kid.”  
“You’re damn right we do!”

A cheery voice pulls Duck from his stupor and draws both his and Pigeon's attention. Surprisingly neither of them heard Barkleigh's station wagon pull up, but they certainly did notice the four figures pouring out of it.  
“Aw man, you really brought the Cavalry, huh?” Duck stands up straight and rubs the bridge of his nose with his spare hand, sighing.  
Aubrey, not noticing this display of displeasure, happily skips over to Duck and leans up against his side, squishing into him to get a good look at the picture.  
"This him?" She asks looking up at Duck, oblivious to her blatant breach of personal space.  
He takes a breath before confirming Aubrey's assumption.  
"Yeah."

She swiftly slips the paper from between Duck's fingers before taking off to show the others currently talking on their way over from the wagon.  
"Hey! Careful with that!” Pigeon protests running after Aubrey, neither of them seeing Ned in their path calmly making his way over oblivious to the danger.  
Duck winces as the three collide and Barkleigh shakes his head in amusement before Duck is startled for the umpteenth time today by a smooth voice in his ear.  
“A little moth told me you needed help.”

Duck spins on his heel to find Indrid Cold almost uncomfortably close, those bright orangey -or red? glasses glaring in the sun. He slams a hand to his beatboxing heart and takes a startled step back from the grinning giant who's hair seemed to gleam something ethereal in the early morning sun.  
“Jesus- do people just enjoy scaring the crap outta me, or what?!”  
Indrid chuckles, pushing his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose. The reflection of the sun catches Duck's eye.  
“Well I have to admit, it was amusing. Although I suggest we leave soon or we might not catch him.”  
Duck sits a second in confusion before realizing what that means and straightening up.

“Shit- Okay ladies and gents, get it together, we got a missin boy on our hands.”  
A quick clap of his hands gathers everyone's attention, but not for long as he was quickly interrupted.  
“I say we-“  
“Split up into groups of two. Ned and Barkleigh’ll sweep the east, Duck and- uh- that guy, sweep the west, and Aubrey and I’ll go north. Sound like a plan?”  
Duck is needless to say, a little stunned by Pigeons smooth control of the situation, but agrees to the plan nonetheless.

~*~

"Sooo.."  
Pigeon turns to Aubrey who is trailing slightly behind with a mischevious smile on her face. She stops seeing this, trying and failing to keep a small smile from creeping onto her own face.  
"So? What're you lookin all suspicious for?" Aubrey continues walking, her hands interlocked behind her back, and the smile never leaving her face. As she passes Pigeon she leans in real close to drop a sentence.  
"Duck's pretty cool, huh?"

Pigeon splutters and jogs to catch up to Aubrey, closing the space between them.  
"Now, I don't know what you think you know but its nothin' like that, okay? He's just helpin' me find my brother is all."  
Aubrey relaxes her posture and sends a sympathetic smile towards Pigeon. By this point they are walking side by side, talking but still trying to keep an eye out.  
"Oh come on Pidge, I've seen the way you look at him. When you're noticing all his little fidgets that get on most people's nerves, but not you? You're telling me you don't even like him a little?"

Pigeon feels her face heat up, takes one look at Aubrey's smile and something melts.  
"You can't tell anyone."  
Aubrey nods, extending her pinky finger to Pigeon.  
"Promise. Magician's honor." She winks.

They continue on in silence for a little while, and when Pigeon next looks over at Aubrey, something in her expression seems a little sad.  
"You okay, Aubrey?"  
She jumps, putting a hand to her chest, and laughing at herself.  
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." They return to looking, but Pigeon doesn't feel convinced.  
"Ya know, if you wanna talk to me about anything, now's the perfect time to do it. Even if you just wanna vent, ya know? I know we don't know each other very well, but I think we could be good friends."

Aubrey beams at Pigeon, quickening her pace to walk slightly in front. She walks backward, almost perpetually tripping, putting a smile on Pigeon's face too.  
"I'd love that! Dani and I need another girl for our Friday fright fest!" Aubrey makes some kind of motion with her hands Pigeon guesses is supposed to represent something scary, but what? She's at a loss.  
Pigeon giggles as Aubrey almost trips over a root.  
"Well, I'm not too great with scary movies, but I guess it'd be fun to spend time with some other girls..."  
"You don't have any sisters?" Aubrey turns, walking normally.  
"Nah. It's just me and Flint now."  
Aubrey places a hand on Pigeon's shoulder as she goes quiet.  
"I'm real worried Aubrey."  
"I know Pigeon. I know."  
Suddenly, the two are interrupted by a buzz from the Radio on Aubrey's belt.

~*~

Meanwhile, Duck is filled with regret as he watches Indrid's sneaker-clad feet kick up twigs and debris. His hands start twitching and his mind races as he tries to focus on matching Indrid's pace but the thought keeps creeping in. Duck and Indrid. In the woods. Together. Alone.  
“Damnit Juno.”  
Usually, this would be fine. There would be swift conversation and no awkward pauses, but now, with Juno’s insinuation swirling around Duck’s head, he's finding it hard to find something- anything to say.

“Duck.”  
Indrid speaks up, and Duck quickly turns his head to look at his albino companion, just as a pinecone smacks him in the back of the head.  
Indrid laughs.  
“Ah. Yes, I can see how I screwed that one up.” He bends down, picking up the offensive projectile and inspecting it.  
“You think?” Duck chuckles, rubbing the back of his head before turning to face the position the projectile came from.  
Both men freeze at the sight. To both Duck and Indrid’s horror, what stands a little ways past the trees is a giant squirrel.  
No, a Giant Squirrel. Standing at about six feet tall, this massive grey-furred monstrosity freezes too upon being spotted before quickly- and loudly- darting away through the trees.

"You uh.. seen anythin like that before?" Duck turns to Indrid to see his mouth agape and he can assume his eyes are wide.  
"Guess not.."  
Duck slowly lifts his radio, eyes turning back to the spot where he had lost track of the beast. Luckily (or unluckily that hadn't been decided yet either), there was no sign of it other than the trampled wildlife it had left in its wake.

“Uhhh, guys.” He opens the channel to the other two groups, laying a hand on Indrid's shoulder.  
“Come in, Duck? Over.” A light voice is the first response, but Duck barely hears it as Indrid raises his interlocked hands to his face and walks to sit on a nearby log, deep in thought.  
“Who gave Aubrey control of the radio?” Ned’s voice comes through all crackly, and Duck wonders the same about him.  
Okay, Duck, back on topic.  
“So, look out for a giant squirrel on your travels.” He turns away from Indrid, giving him room to think.

“How big we talking, like big enough to hug a face?”  
“No, Aubrey I’m talkin man-sized.”  
“What?” Ned's voice sounds too far away this time, and Duck makes a mental note to himself to teach Ned how the radios work next time he sees him.  
“What do you mean man-sized?” Aubrey seems confused, but really who wouldn't be.  
"A fuckin giant squirrel Aubrey, like a six-foot fuckin squirrel.”  
“What the fuck?!” Well, at least Ned's getting better with the Radio.

...  
Silence and static are the only sound from the other channel.  
“Aubrey, you there?”  
“I’m sorry you said a giant fuckin wHAT?!”  
Pigeon almost screams through the receiver, and by the speed of her breathing Duck can tell she's in the process of spiraling.  
"Aw Fuck, okay Pigeon stay calm, deep breaths-"

“Duck.”  
He turns to the sound of Indrid's voice to find the man now standing next to him calm as ever, with his hand extended toward the radio. Duck raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth to ask if Indrid is okay, but the Mothman beat him to it.  
"I'm good." He answers the unasked question smiling, gesturing toward the radio with his outstretched hand.  
"Trust me."  
Duck hands over the radio and barely sees Indrid wink through his obscene glasses before walking off speaking calmly into the receiver.  
Duck leans against a tree in wait, enjoying the silence before it's interrupted by an all too familiar pain in the butt.

“OooowOw, dUck nEwton you've got it baaad~” Beacon slightly uncurls from Duck's belt so that the mouthpiece is facing the tired man. Duck sighs, taking his hat off with one hand and rubbing his face with the other.  
“Ugh, remind me why I brought you again?”  
“mmmMYou’d be nothing without mee, dUck nEwton.”  
“I beg to differ.” He mutters to himself, dropping his hat on his face and readying himself for the big 'Beacon Speech' he's come to expect every time he 'disrespects Beacon's authority'.

Luckily, Duck is spared from the sword's lecture today as the sound of Indrid returning has Duck replacing his hat and standing to attention.  
"eEager are we~"  
"Oh, put a sock in it." The sword coils back to his natural position just as indrid returns.  
“Crisis averted.” He winks, dropping the radio back into Duck’s palm before turning and walking in the direction the beast ran off in.  
“Woa woa woa, wait, what did you tell her?” Duck sprints to catch up, tripping over a tree root but just managing to catch himself on a tree.  
“I simply explained that you were making a joke while expertly conveying to Aubrey that you were not. Oh, and Pigeon told me to give you something.”  
Duck perks up and looks up at Indrid almost eagerly, muttering a small ‘Yeah?’ Before getting lightly slapped in the face.  
“Ah. Thanks.”  
“You’re welcome.”

The two continue walking in comfortable silence for a while through the trampled brush until Duck's nervous voice speaks up. He scratches the back of his neck as he speaks.  
“Hey I- well, I never got to thank you properly for the other day, I-“ Indrid interrupts him with a dismissive wave of his hand.  
“Oh, it’s no problem, Duck. It felt a little exhilarating getting back into old habits, saving people, you know the drill.”  
Duck jogs a little to keep pace.  
“Yeah, about that... why did you catch me? You knew I would have been okay, right?”  
Duck risks a curious glance up at Indrid, trying to peer behind those red-orange shades of his, but Indrid’s focus remains fixed on the ground, voice slightly quieter this time.  
“I couldn’t take that chance.”

That's all he says before moving to walk in front for a while, and honestly, maybe the pace is a little difficult for Duck to keep up with.  
“Could ya maybe slow down a little there, champ? It’s harder to, ya know, wade through when you got shorter legs.”  
Duck gets no response from Indrid, but before long Indrid stops a little while ahead, and Duck finally manages to catch up.  
“Jeez, you walk fast, huh, why’d you-“  
Duck's voice gets caught in his throat when he realizes the reason for the detour.

A few feet in front of them the forest floor disappears, and in its place is an almost sheer drop.  
The pair stand at the bank of a deep dried up river, the bed now home to hundreds of wildflowers and purple lavender. On the other side of the gap standing and staring menacingly, we see the giant grey squirrel from earlier, only now there's two of them.   
The original one locks eyes with Duck.

“Duck.” Indrid points Duck’s attention toward the flowers in the trench, and dread starts to weigh him down.  
Directly below them, lying on his back motionless in the lavenders with one leg bent slightly weirdly, is Flint.

Duck slowly lifts his radio, opening the line.

“Well Pigeon, we found your brother.”

EDITED [04/03/19]

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyy... so this is my first story on Ao3, and I know most people ghost (I’m guilty too) but feedback- any kind of feedback makes my day. ;)


End file.
